Category: Tools & Resources

The year is coming to an end and as the holidays are quickly approaching it’s time to begin the year-end #shennanigans and start planning for the #newyear but before I do that I want to take a moment and share with you a few mistakes that many of us make, but also some lessons learned throughout my business.

Those of us who have children, a hubby, and a family we make so many mistakes because we are trying to shuffle so many things throughout the day and even if we have a PLAN we don’t use it to our advantage, right? But…Many of you DON’T HAVE The PLAN TO HELP YOU GET THROUGH your day, am I correct?

It helps me set my Goals, plan for months ahead, as well as get things in place for the year-end, but also helps me with my day-to-day house planning…YES!

I’m a visual person and I have tons of things going on at once (both with my Biz & Life), but as I shared in previous posts having a plan for both my life and business helps me soooo much in preparing for the year-end! Get your Freebie today!

4 Simple Tips to Help Entrepreneurs

Get The Sleep They Need for Success

By fAVIOLA VALENCIA-ARANDA

Are you losing sleep due to your small business goals? Well, you could be derailing your efforts to reach those goals faster. Sleep is crucial for your health and wellness — and even your success. So, here is how you can help yourself get more of it.

Your Tech Could Be Keeping You Up

Being a successful small business owner often means being attached to your laptop and smartphone. But if you make a habit of bringing those devices into your bedroom, you could be disrupting your sleep quality. The bright blue light emitted from cell phones, computers, tablets, and televisions prevents your brain from producing the melatonin needed to fall asleep soundly and stay there for enough time. Getting those devices out of your room is a good first step to enhancing your sleep levels. While most tech should be banished from your bedroom, some smart devices are actually made to help you sleep. If you have problems getting your business to-do list out of your head, using a noise machine can help calm your brain, or you could look into a vibrating alarm clock so you are not jolted out of your dreams by noise.

“Selfcare is so important for the daily and business life, so take care of yourself, we only have 1 life, so let’s take care of it the best we can! – Faviola”

Quality Sleep Is Key to Your Success

In business, a busy schedule is prized. However, if your schedule as an entrepreneur is getting in the way of your sleep hygiene, you could be impacting your success.

You need sleep in order to focus on getting your business up and running and to keep yourself healthy enough to do your best every day. So, freeing up some of that work time for more sleep can actually be more beneficial for your business.

If bouts of insomnia are keeping you up, know that sleeplessness is common among entrepreneurs too. All the emotions and thoughts that are racing through your head can make it hard to wind down, even when you schedule to sleep. If you cannot get the seven to eight hours you need every night, at least take steps to improve your sleep quality. Keep your bedroom cool and dark so you can get the most out of the rest you do get.

Your Night Routine Plays a Critical Role

Even if you get your tech out of the bedroom and schedule time for sleep, it still may not be enough.

Your nighttime habits before bedtime affect your sleep quality as much as what you do in your bedroom. Try winding down your work assignments earlier and getting into bed so that you can get an earlier beginning to your day.

If your usual nighttime routine includes checking emails and answering phone calls, you may need to adjust those practices too. In order to get the rest, you need to be successful, you have to guard your personal time.

Set out-of-office hours that will give you time to unwind before crawling into bed. Doing so from the start will help you maintain that positive balance between your work and life as you become more successful.

But Your Health Routines Have an Impact Too

The way you care for yourself during the day matters just as much too.

For example, many entrepreneurs reach for the most convenient food and beverages to keep themselves going. Before you reach for that high-fat snack, however, you should know that it could end up keeping you awake.

More fat and processed foods in your diet can lead to disruptions in necessary sleep processes, as well as digestive issues that can make you too uncomfortable to sleep. An imbalanced gut can lead to an upset stomach, constipation, and other problems that can make it harder to sleep. So, think about meal prepping some healthier options, and also consider getting in daily workouts, which will help you sleep better too.

Sleep is not an option, especially if you hope to start and run your own small business. Your brain needs sleep in order to focus and get those crucial business tasks done. So, if you are looking for long-term sleep as an entrepreneur, make sure that better sleep hygiene is listed on your shortlist of life and business goals.

Social Media “Frenzy” “Hype”

How to Overcome Online Social Media Barriers

How many of you are overwhelmed with ALL this Online Social Media “Hype” going on!

How many of you are confused and even feeling stressed and even depressed because you are doing everything in your power to grow your online business?!

BUT…

Just when you think you “nailed it” and you’ve mastered it, SOMETHING NEW COMES UP, right?!

SO…

Now, you have to go back to the drawing board!

I know how you feel because for a minute I was just like you – going through those same challenges. And more, so because I was seeing all these profiles with only (10 images) with 100K+ followers or those with (no images) and 20K+ followers, so I would ask myself…

“How in the world are all these people doing it? How come I post and post and no “real interaction”, no “real followers”, why isn’t my account growing, etc…And then…

I FIGURED IT OUT!

People where BUYING FOLLOWERS!

People were doing the “FOLLOW/UN-FOLLOW” method to grow faster!

People were BUYING LIKES!

People were BUYING LARGE FOLLOWER accounts!

So, then I continued to research and figured out that It’s the QTY of FOLLOWERS, it’s the QUALITY of REAL FOLLOWERS!

So…I STOPPED STRESSING OUT and STOPPED trying to be like the “Other Guys”!

Yes, the “Shadow Banned” is REAL!

Yes, the “Algorithm” is REAL!

Yes, you can grow your account Organically, it just takes time!

Also, you DON’T NEED TO SPEND 100s and 1000s to START or GROW YOUR BUSINESS online!

Do the Basics, the BASICS ALWAYS WORK!

STOP TRYING TO BE THE “GLITTERY, GLAM, GORGEOUS, EXPENSIVE” ENTREPRENEUR! It all comes with time and patience, don’t put your Business at Risk before you even get it off the “ground”…Baby Steps always work!

With over 1,000,000,000 of Instagram users and over 2,000,000,000 of Facebook users and millions of online users your potential to grow your business with FREE marketing online!

So, STOP “going here and there” and downloading “this and that”, find a platform you like and learn it and stick to it, and eventually, your Biz will start to grow…

Now, many of you know and have been following my Pain and Health journey and I know many of you may suffer from similar ailments.

So, I’ve decided to take my Health tips and journey to another level…Yes!

Because how many of you struggle with stress, depression, anxiety, health problems?

How many of you suffer from some or all of these same problems due to work, family, business, or daily struggles?

My little secret:

I suffer from all of the above as well as other ailments and chronic diseases, but one thing that has truly HELPED ME…Going back to the “BASICS”

1. I changed the way I ate.

2. Lost the excess weight. 3. Went back to exercising (light). 4. Started meditating and doing yoga. 5. I threw away all my medications and exchanged them for vitamins.

Healthy eating, and NOT skipping meals (shakes and vitamins from @herbalife as well as probiotics, and fish oil, and oregano and grape seed oil and other organic items…*check with your Dr)

6. Resting, yes! Actually sleeping, using melatonin, sleep now from @thrive4wellness_herbalife and chamomile or cinnamon tea… 7. More importantly, AVOID STRESS, STRESS IS A “KILLER”…yes, it will bring you to your “knees and break you”!… 8. Know your “triggers” and try to AVOID them so you can PREVENT flare-ups! 9. Don’t WORK to HARD, know your limits and LEARN to LISTEN to your BODY!. 10. Remember that no matter what you do, you will have ups and downs and it’s how you learn to handle them and cope with them that matters!….

I want to invite you to read my previousBlog Post and to share my story and what I struggle with, but I don’t let these struggles take away my SHINE! So, let’s #BossUpandRise and Join Me on this Healthy and Fitness Journey today!

So whether it be with my products or those of your own it DOESN’T MATTER, what matters is that you get your HEALTH and LIFE back on track, so that you can continue to do what you LOVE!

Best Health apps of 2019

Some two-thirds of American adults’ new year’s resolution included fitness goals. A shocking 73% gave up on their objective. It’s no secret that staying active and eating healthily while juggling chaotic work and home life is not easy. However, it’s disheartening to know that under a quarter of Americans are satisfying the recommended amount of weekly exercise — just 150 minutes.

That’s under three hours of exercise per week, which isn’t a lot in the grand scheme of things. Even just 30 minutes of jogging or running per day could make a difference in your life. Living a healthy lifestyle will make you feel better and improve your overall quality of life.

That’s why the Bestowteam picked the 12 best fitness apps for 2019. With these smartphone applications, you’ll be so inspired to work out that you’ll look forward to it. Keep scrolling for the highest-rated health and wellness apps.

We break down the prices and features of the top apps in the following categories:

Getting Started in the Gig Economy

Are you tired of clocking in and out of your job every day? Do you long for the freedom to work around your own schedule? The freedom the gig economy provides helps millions of people work on their time while making enough money to support their dreams. However, working through the gig economy isn’t for everybody. It takes resources, dedication, and discipline. Read on to help determine if finding a job as a freelancer is right for you.

What Is the Gig Economy?

First of all, what even is the “gig economy?” This is a modern term we use to define a workforce where organizations contract independent workers for short-term working engagements. Oftentimes these workers find their “gigs” through technological platforms that help connect freelancers with people or companies that are looking for temporary help. Predictions estimate that by 2020, 40 percent of American workers will be freelance, independent contractors. Popular gig economy websites include:

Uber

Lyft

Turo

HopSkipDrive

AirBNB

OneFineStay

OpenAirplane

ToolLocker

ParkingPanda

Closet Collective

Postmates

Amazon Flex

TaskRabbit

Upwork

HelloTech

SpareHire

Freelancer

Etsy

Feastly

Udemy

Freelancing has its benefits. It allows people to work from wherever they are without having to adhere to a regular office schedule or regulations. However, there are definite drawbacks to working a gig. Freelancers have to be in charge of things other companies outsource to human resources departments.

If you want things such as health insurance and a retirement package, you will have to do the research and invest in them yourself. Furthermore, independent contractors in the United States work through 1099 contracts, meaning they get paid in full, and state and federal taxes are not withheld. When working as a freelancer, it is important to set aside money for tax payments while also tracking business-related expenses for deductions.

Getting Started with Gigs: Resources, Dedication, and Discipline

Deciding what kind of freelancer you want to be that will depend on the resources you have. Resources refer to both the things you own and the services you provide. If you don’t have a car or a driver’s license, you can’t drive for a rideshare company. The same thing goes for freelance work such as copywriting — if you don’t have the technology to connect with people online or the writing skills to do the task, there’s not much chance for you in that field. To decide what kind of gig is right for you, do a self-assessment of your assets to determine what works best for you.

Beyond your resources, you have to have dedication and discipline. Without a boss breathing down your neck, there is no one to hold you accountable for completing your work. If you want to freelance, you have to be a self-starter who sees your projects through. If you don’t manage your time effectively, you will end up disappointing your clients and failing to get hired again. Furthermore, you won’t make enough cash to make your living as a freelancer.

Tips for Freelancers

So you’ve determined your best route for gigs and you are ready to get going — great! Set yourself up for success with these helpful tips:

Set up space where you live for a home office. Even if your gigs take you out of the house, you need a space where you can organize your documents and schedule. Make sure you have your wiring and communication needs met in this area and personalize it with custom chairs, desks, and other furniture. Establish rules in your home office that provide structure and discipline in your working area separate from the relaxation and fun you have in the rest of the house.

Connect with other freelancers. Not only can they provide you with helpful tips and social support, they may be able to connect you with other clients in need of your services.

Don’t neglect your branding. Any time you advertise your services, you should stick to a particular set of visual rules that will create a visual imprint in a potential client’s mind.

***

The gig economy provides freedom and flexibility to work on your own schedule, but there are drawbacks as well. Budgeting for insurance, retirement and taxes are just a few of the responsibilities a freelancer has to do on their own. However, if you have the resources, dedication and discipline, there is nothing stopping you from pursuing a career you love!